The Great 2021 Reboot: Not Back to the Same Old Thing
As spring weather encourages us to come out of our winter hibernation and as the restrictions of the pandemic are lifting, many of us are eager to go back to the way things used to be.
We’ve missed things like eating together in restaurants, going out to concerts and sporting events, and hosting guests our homes. It seems like ages since we’ve enjoyed that kind of social life, and we can’t wait to get back to normal.
SOME DON’T WANT TO RETURN TO NORMAL
In one sense, however, not everyone is ready to go back to normal. Some are reluctant to return to the way things were. Many have grown accustomed to the convenience of “Pajama Church,” the online version of Sunday services that allows us to consume the content of the Sunday worship service – the music and the preaching – without going to the trouble of leaving our living rooms.
For a while last spring, when we were shut down, online was the only way we could worship together, with the content produced by a small team composed of one worship pastor, one preaching pastor, prerecorded music, and a tech crew of camera operators and sound and video techs working behind the scenes. For some, online worship is still the only available option, and it is a spiritual lifeline.
But those who choose to worship from home are missing an essential component of what we do on Sundays: we gather with the people of God to celebrate the goodness of God.
From my own experience, I know that guilt is a lousy motivator, so this writer won’t resort to trying to leverage guilt to get people to come to church. And I hope that no one feels that returning to normal means returning to the custom of going to church on Sunday mornings to avoid feeling guilty.
In any case, the real issue is not what we feel about attending in person or online but what we lose when we worship from afar – the opportunity to be with the people of God, to lift our voices in praise with one another, to greet one another in person, to dawdle in the lobby after church catching up with spiritual siblings and fellow pilgrims, to encourage one another face to face.
GETTING BACK TOGETHER
We are always tempted to paint past experiences in the most flattering possible light, but the “normal” we knew pre-Covid might not have been very healthy, after all. One positive result of our Covid hibernation is that it has caused many of us to reexamine our motives for all sorts of customs of our past lives, including church attendance.
Think of the many reasons people have for going to church. They are not all equally valid.
Besides a genuine desire to be with the people of God to celebrate the goodness of God, there are various other motivations: family expectations, social expectations, the momentum of habit, the desire to avoid feelings of Sunday morning guilt. I remember hearing a realtor explain once that he attended a certain local church because it gave him such a large pool of potential contacts.
None of these are good reasons, of course, and they won’t withstand even casual scrutiny. Many have noticed that our children quickly see through these flimsy reasons and, if they don’t have a robust faith of their own, they will accompany their parents to church only for special occasions.
And if returning to normal means falling back into those ill-conceived, self-centered behavior patterns, we will have to concede the fact that returning to “the same old thing” might not be worth the bother.
ESTABLISHING A HEALTHY NEW NORMAL
So as we think about returning to normal, let’s not be satisfied with going back to the Same Old Thing. The Great 2021 Reboot gives us the chance to form healthy new habits, so let’s seize the opportunity.
I can think of three ways we can use this opportunity to move back to something better than we had before:
1. COME: If you’re able to attend in person but only experiencing church online, bestir yourself to make it there in person. And not just for your sake. As you come to worship on Sunday morning, you are joining a company of believers who will be encouraged to see other believers gathered with them to celebrate with them the goodness of our God.
Every Sunday we are delighted to see more and more people we haven’t seen for weeks. And when you make your own appearance, you’ll probably run into a friend you haven’t seen in person for some time.
2. ENGAGE: If you’re already in the habit of attending Sunday morning worship, consider taking the next step by dropping in on one of our Sunday morning Adult Bible Classes (ABCs).
Current class options include
Book studies on
the Revelation of John (9:00, the Loft)
Ephesians (9:00, Room 210)
1 Timothy (10:30, Choir Room)
the Gospel of John (10:30, Underground)
“Story of the Bible,” a course showing how the entire Bible is about Jesus (9:00, Underground)
“God Owns It All: Finding Contentment and Confidence in Your Finances” (9:00, Choir Room, behind the Worship Center)
“Who Is God?” a large-group study for families on the nature and Person of God (10:30, Family Life Center)
a study of current social issues considered from a biblical perspective (10:30, Room 200)
Some classes will change each quarter. The next quarter begins in July, so check at the information desk in the lobby for information on course offerings.
3. REACH OUT: Now that it is safer for us to gather together, think about how you can deepen your relationships with neighbors and co-workers.
If you don’t know the names of all your neighbors, make that your next step. Next time you’re out working in the yard and you see a neighbor, walk over and introduce yourself.
If you already know your neighbors’ names, begin to pray for them by name. Ask God to help you cultivate relationships with neighbors that will make spiritual conversations natural and not forced.
Then think about organizing a block party. As starved as we all are for social interaction, you just might have a hit on your hands if you head up that effort.
THE GREAT 2021 REBOOT
The bad news is that life will never be the same as it was pre-Covid. Too many things have been lost; too much has changed forever and will never again be the same.
But the good news is that things don’t have to return to the normal we knew then. By God’s grace we can – and should – do better.
Let’s seize this opportunity to cultivate new habits as disciples and disciple-makers.
Persevere,
Paul Pyle
Discipleship Pastor